According to the Small Business Administration, it’s estimated that there currently are more than thirty-one million small businesses in the United States alone–that’s nearly one small business for every ten Americans. As pandemic lockdowns have relaxed and many workers have refused to return to the office, some people have chosen to open their own small businesses.
Once small businesses start to grow and hire more people, they may reach a stage of organizational crisis. When there are too many moving parts to track, things start falling through the cracks. This is the time many small businesses turn to enterprise software to help keep their businesses organized and on track for success. Today, we’ll examine one of the most popular types of software for businesses both large and small—Salesforce. You might be wondering, is Salesforce worth it for a small business? Let’s take a look at what it can offer businesses both large and small, and if you need to research salesforce consultants for hire.
What Is CRM, and How Can It Help Small Business?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. Anyone who has worked in a corporate call center can tell you how CRM software works because they document every incoming call into a CRM system.
Salesforce is a type of CRM software, assisting a business by tracking customer interactions. Every single call and email that comes in can be assigned to a customer profile within Salesforce. Typically, this tracking is done on a chronological basis, but Salesforce offers various dashboards through which users can track information.
Good CRM software provides huge benefits in both organization and time-saving. When your employees aren’t spending thirty minutes sifting through their 6,000 email inbox looking for a crucial message, they’re able to use that time to generate new leads and fulfill existing orders. These improvements in efficiency can obviously lead to massive increases in profitability.
Software Cost: Individual Versus Enterprise
As individuals, there are two types of software that we typically interact with—free software that makes its money through advertising, and paid software that is purchased with a one-time fee. Your favorite smartphone game or app probably falls into one of these two categories.
For businesses, however, things are rarely free. Businesses looking to utilize software in their quest for increased profits typically have what are known as enterprise agreements. Enterprise agreements are agreements between a business and a software provider that is similar to a subscription model rather than a single-fee transaction.
Businesses pay for the software on a per-user basis. This is either done in blocks based on the number of employees—such as a tier for between one and fifty employees and a second tier of fifty to 500 employees—or it is charged per individual user. This payment is made annually or monthly, depending on the terms of the contract
How Much Does Salesforce Cost?
As mentioned above, a company will pay for Salesforce on a per-user basis. Salesforce has four tiers: $25, $75, $150, and $300 per user, per month. Depending on your annual sales and profits, this can be a huge cost or a small cost for your business. For businesses that are just beginning to get large enough where enterprise software is necessary, it’s recommended they start with one of the lower-tiered plans.
While the lower-tiered plans may not offer as many options, the advanced analytics offered by the higher-tiered plans may not be sensible for businesses on the smaller side. Once a business starts to grow larger than twenty-five or fifty employees and their sales are measured in millions rather than thousands, it’s definitely time to start upgrading those tiers. At that level, it’s important for your business to take full advantage of time-saving features in order to continue functioning and hopefully continue growing.
In Summary
For a properly organized business, the sky’s the limit. CRM software like Salesforce helps millions of businesses, both large and small, stay nimble in today’s ever-changing world.
If you’re a business owner looking to start using software such as Salesforce, Guru offers thousands of salesforce consultants for hire that are ready to assist your small business in switching over to an enterprise software system. They can help train you and your employees and ensure a smooth transition so that you can focus on what matters most.
